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Friday, May 28, 2010

Fire investigators are looking into the cause after a fire in East Saint John earlier today.Black smoke could be seen coming from a house at 23 Russell Street just before 3pm.One resident got out safely and firefighters also rescued a cat from the home.While traffic was blocked in the area, motorists can access Russell Street now.

Heavy black smoke could be seen billowing from East Saint John just before 3 this afternoon.City fire crews responding to the scene at 25 Russell street.Acting District Fire Chief Kevin Clynick tells CHSJ News says people are living in home and all were evacuated when crews arrived on the scene.

Clynick says they are not sure of the cause, the fire investigator is on the way to the scnee and crews have the fire under control now.The flames extended up the outside of the building into the roof area.City police have barricades set up in the area, access to Russell Street blocked to traffic at Rothesay Avenue and Kane's corner.

Clynick tells us they expect to be on the scene for another 90 minutes.He is not sure when the residents of the home can get back in but, he says they will be offered assistance.

Crime Stoppers and the Hampton RCMP are looking for those responsible for breaking into two businesses in Hampton over two years ago.

Sometime on the evening of January 2nd 2008, thieves broke into Jerry’s Barber Shop and a nearby video store. Once inside the barber shop, they broke through a wall giving them access to “Five Sons Video” next door.

The suspects got away with thousands of dollars worth of cigarettes, lottery tickets and cash from the video store. Both businesses suffered extensive structural damage.

Gordon Dalzell of the Clean Air Coalition has been honoured by the New Brunswick Lung Association. Dalzell received the Clean Air Day Award during a ceremony at City Hall for outstanding citizen engagement and advocacy over the past 15 years. Past winners have included David Suzuki. Dalzell tells CHSJ News he is optimistic air quality is getting better in Saint John but the more obvious offensive odours you can smell in parts of the city still give Saint John a bad name. He points to the smell from Marsh Creek as an example. Dalzell's latest project is the impact a proposed bio-diesel plant on Grandview Avenue would have on nearby residents and students attending the Community College.

The health care system could save millions of dollars with a comprehensive strategy to get a handle on diabetes. So claims Provincial Conservative Leader David Alward who estimates 60 thousand people in the province are diabetic, some of whom are in danger of amputations, and that's why a comprehensive strategy is needed. Alward says any such plan would start with prevention and early diagnosis because he maintains there are 20 thousand people in the province who aren't even aware they are diabetic.

Provincial Energy Minister Jack Keir says Atomic Energy of Canada has no solution to fix the latest delay in the refurbishment of the Point Lepreau nuclear power plant. As for this latest delay leading some people to suspect A-E-C-L is flying by the seat of its pants with this project which is now well beyond a year and a half behind schedule, Keir concedes it would be hard to argue against that perception.Keir charges A-E-C-L is using this province as a learning curve that will be used to avoid the same difficulties with refurbishment projects in other countries like China, Argentina and Romania. That's why Keir says the provincial government has been arguing the federal government has to come good on the cost overruns.

The provincial government announcing a new five million dollar ferry will be plying the waters off Grand Manan from White Head Island sometime next year. Provincial Fisheries Minister Rick Doucet tells CHSJ News the ferry will be larger than what has been used since 1976.A contract has been awarded to the same shipyard in Gaspe, Quebec which constructed the Henry Nase ferry which runs between Grand Bay-Westfield and Harding's Point. The new ferry will be able to carry 12 cars and 32 passengers.

Manufacturers from around the province gathered in Fredericton to talk about the current economic climate and investment opportunities. They've had a tough time in the last year or so with the rise in the value of the Canadian dollar and continuing economic difficulties in the U.S. David Plante of Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters tells CHSJ News the uncertainty over energy in the province and what will happen with NB Power are not helping. Plante maintains whichever party wins the provincial election in September will have to come up with a long term energy plan. He came out in support of the NB Power deal with Hydro Quebec because of the dramatic reductions for manufacturers in the cost of their electricity.Plante claims the manufacturers he has dealt with over the past two decades have been improving their energy efficiency by about one per cent per year.

13 years in prison the sentence for a Saint John man convicted of attempting to kill a woman who was bartending at a Quispamis pub.55-year-old Adrian John Lepage also pleaded guilty to robbing and kidnapping the woman from the Barnwood pub last November. It was revealed in his trial last month that he left the victim in a Lepreau gravel pit with a plastic bag taped over her head.

An attempted armed holdup last night in a convenience store at 150 Westmorland Road near Fernhill Cemetery is being investigated by the Major Crime Unit. City Police tell CHSJ News a man brandishing a weapon came into the store and demanded money but fled without getting any.

Police also arrested a man for possessing a prohibited weapon after stopping a vehicle along Loch Lomand Road.

The province will announce a new ferry today for White Head Island located off of Grand Manan Island.Transportation Minister Denis Landry and Fisheries Minister Rick Doucet will announce the details at the White Head ferry landing at 9 this morning.

The 2010 Cruise Ship season in Saint John begins today.Betty McMillan of the Port Authority tells CHSJ News the first ship is an 84 hundred ton vessel that specializes in trips to the Antarctic.Princess Cruises will be calling 15 times with the Grand Princess and the Caribbean Princess.McMillan says they expect over 214,000 cruise passengers onboard 77 vessels this season.

Meantime, Fundy River Valley MLA and acting Business New Brunswick Minister Jack Keir along with Supply and Services Minister Ed Doherty will be on hand for a funding announcement in the city this afternoon concerning the port. The details will be revealed in a news conference at the Floating Pipeline Company.

Another critical deadline was missed this weekend in the refurbishment of Point Lepreau. They are now having difficulty getting a proper seal on fuel tubes they are installing while using new technology. There's no word yet on how the delays will affect scheduled completion of construction on the reactor. Premier Shawn Graham says he is very concerned with the continued delays.Graham says he can't say how long the delay will be as this portion of the project is the responsibility of Atomic Energy of Canada which is a federal crown corporation. That's why the Premier believes the Federal Government has to come good and pick up the costs of replacement energy. It's costing New Brunswick ratepayers a million dollars a day.

It was the closest result of any of the Conservative nomination meetings for the September 27th provincial election but Common Councillor Carl Killen won a second ballot victory over John Campbell. Killen acknowledges the Conservatives have not represented the riding for 28 years but claims there is an appetite for change and pthe voters are disgruntled.Former Common Councillor and Deputy Mayor Carl White withdrew after the first ballot and gave his support to Killen. White tells CHSJ News he has not ruled out running for Council again.Party Leader David Alward says the Conservatives, if elected, will place oversight for the care of seniors in the hands of the Ombudsman, eliminate the 130 dollar fee for using an ambulance, reinstate the home heating supplement in the winter for low income people in the province and come up with a comprehensive strategy to combat diabetes. Alward claims 60 thousand New Brunswickers have diabetes and 20 thousand don't even know they are afflicted.